Giving presentations can be an anxious experience. The anxiety level of giving a presentation can increase when the presentation is given electronically (e.g., using a personal computer running a presentation software package such as PowerPoint or other presentation software).
To a presenter not thoroughly familiar with the operation of the presentation software, it may not be intuitive how to perform the basic task of advancing to the next slide. For example, in PowerPoint advancing to the next slide is accomplished by pressing the left mouse button, or one of several keyboard keys. Inadvertently pressing the right mouse button or other keyboard keys can ruin the presentation by backing up, or worse, exiting the PowerPoint program entirely. Such an error can lead to a flurry of activity, where the presenter often must ask a member of the support staff (or worse the audience) for assistance in resuming the presentation. Such an interruption disrupts the presentation flow and embarrasses the presenter.
Conventional approaches to minimizing errors during a presentation include accessory devices that have been designed and built to attempt to make delivery of an electronic slide show smooth and foolproof. An example of such a device includes wireless remote controls that use an infrared beam similar to a TV remote control. These devices usually attach to the PC through a serial port, and require special “driver” software to translate commands from the port to emulate keystroke or mouse commands that are recognizable by the presentation software. The driver software limits the use of such devices to pre-prepared computers, on which the driver software has been installed. In addition, these devices tend to be complex, to allow many options. Therefore they present a whole new set of “learning curve” challenges to the presenter, and thus may defeat the goal of being simple and foolproof.